Biodiversity Policy: The Birds and Habitats Directives

Abstract

Of the four areas of secondary policy-making examined in this book, biodiversity (that is, the diversity of plant and animal life) stands out as being the most indirectly related to the single market. However, this did not stop the Commission from finding ways gradually to expand EU competence to Europeanize national practices. The Wild Birds (79/409/EEC) and Habitats Directives (92/43/EEC) are the two central planks of the biodiversity acquis. Together, they established a legally binding framework of protection. Before the EU’s involvement, British policy had been mostly informal, voluntary and locally determined. In contrast to some aspects of pollution control, Britain justly regarded itself as a frontrunner in the development of national and international nature conservation policies. As a nation, the British care passionately about wildlife issues, especially animals. In 2001, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) had over 1 million members, which is more than the combined membership of the three main political parties. Nevertheless, misfits arose between EU requirements and these long-standing national policies. With hindsight, Britain’s long history of biodiversity protection did not make the job of adjusting to EU rules and philosophies any less painful or unpredictable. In many respects, the disadvantages of having innovated with national policies before the EU caught up made it considerably harder.